Air conditioning apparatus



Nov. 2, 1937. R. F. BlxBY r Al.

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 5, 1934 Patented Nov. 2, 1937 AIR. CONDITIONING APPARATUS Ralph F. Bixby and John H. Meyer, St. Louis,

Mo.; Asaid Meyer assignor to said Bixby H Application November 1934, Serial No. 751,610

E 7 Clis. Our invention relates to air conditioning apparatus and more particularly to such apparatus as is adapted to cool and otherwise condition the air in a small space such as a room or a group of 5 several rooms as contra-distinguished from apparatus designed to condition the air in large buildings. Likewise, our invention, while it may be used in apparatus of various kinds, is more particularly adapted for use in a unitary strucl0 ture wherein all of the various parts are included in a cabinet.

Heretofore, air conditioning apparatus of the usual type included a compressor for one of .the usual type of refrigerating fluids and an evaporator or coil in. which the fluid expanded to cool the air passing through and around the coil. Of course, such apparatus was extremely costly to manufacture and depreciation and cost of upkeep was high.

Likewise, if the necessary apparatus for a machine of the type described was included in a single cabinet the weight of the compressor and other parts was such that the cabinet could be moved only with great difliculty from one part of a room to another part or from room to room.

Furthermore, in the Ause of air conditioning apparatus in the past operation was controlled by a thermostat iixed in one position in the space being cooled and oftentimes all the air was not properly conditioned because the thermostat control was so xed, and with the outside weather varying the temperatures at different parts of the room would not be the same.

Attempts have been made to provide air conditioning apparatus using charges of solidified carbondioxide (CO2) or similar low temperature refrigerants, but because of the obstacles presenting themselves to the use of such refrigerants these devices have been ineiiicient and, in many cases, inoperative.

'I'he objects of our invention are to provide an air conditioning apparatus' which may be oontained and embodied in a light cabinet in a manner whichpermits cheap manufacture, to provide such apparatus whereby the control thereof may be governed by conditions and temperatures at any one of an infinite number. of desired points in the space being cooled and to provide an air conditioning apparatus which may utilize CO2 as the refrigerant in a manner never before taught. E

Although, of course, our invention may be used in many different types of embodiments, in the accompanying drawing we have shown our invention as embodied in one form of device. In

(ol. sp2-91.5)

the drawing Fig. 1 is a view, partly in section, of the apparatus in elevation and Fig. 2 is a detail of structure. i

Referring to the figures in theform shown therein all working parts of the device are included in a cabinet I which may be of any suit'- able size, shape, or design. Preferably, to facilitate movement of the cabinet from one place to another it is mounted on swivel rollers or casters 2. The cabinet includes an air conditioning compartment 3 and a receptacle 4 in which a heat exchange agent, such as brine or alcohol, is cooled by a charge of refrigerant inserted in a container 5. These divisions of the cabinet may be arranged in any relative manner. That is to say, they may be one above the other, a convenient arrangement, as shown in the figures or they may be side by side, if desired.

The receptacle 4 is, of course, closed and, preferably, is insulated by a surrounding body of cork, mineral wool or other similar material as indicated at 6. The container 5 is positioned in this embodiment Within the receptacle 4 so-that the walls thereof are spaced from the walls of the receptacle 4 whereby the heat exchange agent may freely circulate thereabout and be cooled by conduction through the walls of the container which are preferably of thin sheet metal or other conductive material. The container 5 isprovided at one end with an opening 1 through which a charge of CO2 or other low temperature refrigerant as indicated at 8, is placed. 'I'he opening 1 is normally closed bya closure 9 and, to prevent dissipation of heat through the opening a mat II) of asbestos or other suitable insulating material is fitted into the open end of the container before the closure is moved into place.

'I'he air conditioning compartment 3, preferably, is divided by a partition II into a space to receive a cooling coil I2 and a space to contain the operating parts of the apparatus. Such operating parts in this embodiment include a pair of blowers I3 mounted so as to expel air into the upper space of the compartment and past and in contact with the coil I2.

A pump I9 passes the heat exchange agent through the coil, and a motor I6 drives both the blowers and the pump. While in this embodiment we have shown blowers for circulating the air We do not intend to limit ourselves to mechanical means of this particular type for this purpose because it is obvious that any of the various types of fans, blowers or other similar devices may be employed with equal facility. Likewise,

while the coil I2 is of the usual convoluted and finned type, operation of our device does not depend on such form of coil. In the specification and claims the term coil is used to denote any form of structure through which a cooling agent may flow so as to cool air passing thereby.

The air after it is cooled by contact with the coil is forced from the cabinet through a grilled opening as at I4. The circuit of such air through the room or other space in which the air is being conditioned iscompleted by drawing air to the blowers through the louvres I5 preferably positioned in a side wall of the cabinet below the partition Il.

As stated above the coil `I2 may be of any suitable form, but in this embodiment it consists of a plurality of convolutions of a pipe II and a plurality of thin metal fins I8 having an intimate contact with said convolutions so as to be cooled thereby. The pipe I 'I has one end thereof leading from the receptacle 4, preferably at the lower side thereof, and has the other'or return end thereof leading back to the receptacle, preferably at the bottom thereof. Under certain conditions the ow of the heat exchange agent through the pipe may be caused by a thermo-syphon action naturally induced, but for best results we prefer that the circulation of the agent be mechanically induced by a pump I9 driven by the same motor I6 which operates the mechanical means for causing the circulation of air.

In some embodiments it is necessary to regulate the amount of agent being circulated through the coil and, therefore, we prefer that an adjustable valve similar to the needle type valve 20 shown in Fig. 2 be incorporated in the line below the pump.

'In this embodiment operation of the blowers I3 and pump I9 may be manually controlled by movement of an electric switch 2I or may be controlled automatically as determined by the temperature within the space being cooled by a portable thermostat 22, of the usual type, which is attached to the end of a long flexible cord 23 so that it may be moved to any desired point. The thermostat, of course, is arranged so that when the temperature in the space being cooled at the given point rises, operation of the air conditioning apparatus is commenced and when the temperature has been lowered by such operation to the desired degree, operation is stopped.

If CO2 is used as the low temperature refrigerant the gases resulting from its evaporation are extremely cold and, therefore, these gases may be allowed to ow from the container 5 through the pipe 24 which is convoluted with the resultant convolutions arranged in conductive association with the ns I8 of the coil I2 so that these fins are cooled further. The gases then may be allowed to flow through an outlet 25 from the pipe 2l directly into the space being cooled or, if desired, may be conducted by a suitable hose or other conduit to an outside place of discharge. As air is blown over the coil I2 moisture will be condensed on the parts of the coil and as this moisture drips therefrom onto the partition I I it may drain to one side of the partition where it flows downwardly through the drain pipe 26 into the receptacle 2'I. At predetermined intervals the resultant water may drain from the receptacle through a suitable valve-controlled faucet 28.

An understanding of operation of our device will be clear from the above description and it is not believed that a detailed statement 9i Such operation is required. However, it will be apparent that our device will operate efliciently to cool and condition the air in a given space or room. Similarly, because of its light and simple construction our device may be moved quickly and easily from one point or room to another.

As set forth above We have shown herein one embodiment only of our invention, but in other embodiments the size, shape and arrangement of the parts inay be varied within wide limits without deviating from the spirit of the invention as included in the appended claims.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. An air conditioning apparatus comprising a. receptacle for a heat exchange agent, a container for a low temperature refrigerant positioned in intimate thermal contact with said agent, a casing forming an air treating compartment through which air may be circulated, a coil positioned in `said compartment in the path of circulation of said air, means for circulating said agent through said coil and a secondary coil positioned similarly to said f lrst coil -and means for passing through said -secondary coil the gases resulting from evaporation of said refrigerant.

2. An air conditioning apparatus comprising an insulated receptacle for aheat exchange agent, a container fora low temperature refrigerant positioned within said receptacle whereby said refrigerant will have an intimate thermal contact with said agent, a casing forming an air treating compartment through which air may circulat'e, a coil positioned in said compartment in the path of circulation of said air, means for circulating said agent through said coil, and a secondary coil positioned similarly to said first coil and means for passing through said secondary coil the gases resulting from evaporation of said refrigerant.

3. An air conditioning apparatus comprising an insulated receptacle for a heat exchange agent, a container of conductive material adapted to receive a charge of low temperature refrigerant and positioned within said receptacle whereby said refrigerant will be in intimate thermal contact with said agent, an opening through which said container may be charged, a closure for said opening, a casing forming an air treating compartment for treating air and having an inlet therein to and an outlet therefrom, a coil positioned in said compartment in the path of circulating of said air, means for circulating said agent through said coil, and a secondary coil positioned similar to said rst coil and means for passing through said secondary coil the gases resulting from evaporation of said refrigerant.

4. An air conditioning apparatus comprising a suitable cabinet having a receptacle therein for a heat exchange agent, a container for a low temperature refrigerant positioned in intimate thermal contact with\said agent, said cabinet also having an air treating compartment for treating air with an inlet thereinto and an outlet therefrom, a coil positioned in said compartment in the path of circulation of said air, means for circulating said agent through said coil, and a secondary coil positioned similarly to said first coil and means for passing through said secondary coil the gases resulting from evaporation, of said refrigerant.

5. An air conditioning apparatus comprising a suitable cabinet having an insulated receptacle therein for a heat exchange agent, a container for a low temperature refrigerant positioned within said receptacle so as to be in intimate thermal contact with said agent, said cabinet also having an air treating compartment with an inlet thereinto and an outlet therefrom, a coil positioned in said compartment in the path of circulation of said air, means for circulating said agent through said coil, and a secondary coil positioned similarly tosaid rst coil and means for passing through said secondary coil the gases resulting from evaporation of said refrigerant.

6. An air conditioning apparatus comprising a suitable cabinet having an insulated receptacle therein for a heat exchange agent, a container for a low temperature refrigerant positioned in intimate thermal contact with said agent, an opening through which said container may be charged, a closure for said opening, said cabinet also having an air treating compartment with an inlet therento and an outlet therefrom, a coil positioned in said compartment in the path of circulation of said air, means for circulating said agent through said coil, and a secondary coil positioned similarly to said first coil and means for passing through `said secondary coil the gases resulting from evaporation of said refrigerant.

7. An air conditioning apparatus comprising-a suitable cabinet having an insulated receptacle therein for a heat exchange agent, a container for a low temperature refrigerant positioned in intimate thermal contact with said agent, an opening through which said container may be charged, a closure for said opening, said cabinet also having an air treating compartment with an inlet therento and an outlet therefrom, mechanical means for inducing a circulation of air through said compartment, a coil positioned in said compartment in the path of circulation of said air, means for circulating said agent through said coil, and a secondary coil positioned similarly to said first coil and means for passing through said secondary coil the gases resulting from evaporation of said refrigerant.

RALPH F. BIXBY.

JOHN H. MEYER. 

